Russian Crew Was Prevented From Taking Over The Mistral On The 14th Of Nov.
On the 14th of November, the Mistral Vladivostok appeared as russian on international tracking systems. Following that, the russian crew was forbidden on board. What really happened?
Information is finally leaking slowly and allow us to better understand. The incident occurred Monday when the 400 Russian sailors in training since the beginning of the summer in Saint-Nazaire, on the Vladivostok definitely wanted to move on the war ship. The official date of delivery of the Mistral to Russia had been set for November 14, at least until the French government canceled the ceremony of "keys" organized by the manufacturer DCNS.
The sailors did as if nothing had changed. Their training was completed for several days, the last sea manoeuvres too. They wanted to transfer their personal belongings from the school boat "Smolny", where they spent every night, to the Vladivostok which is now ready to go to sea. But they were stopped. And if they have been allowed to go on the boat since that, it is only during the day.
"By bringing their belongings in the Vladivostok, sailors would have taken possession of the ship, which would have become Russian. It would have been very difficult to dislodge them. This move was perhaps the signal they were preparing their departure ... "says an informed source.
Adding to that that the russian crew switched the MMSI from french one (227022600) to russian (273549920) on the 14th while they were trying to move their belongings on board, the Mistral was really not far from becoming officially russian.
As a reminder, the official website of the port of St-Nazaire announced not long ago a departure of the Mistral on the 21st of November... without return date. Bernard Grua was able to discuss one night with some members of the russian crew and they told him that they had been asked to be fully ready for departure on the 28th of November.
A scenario similar to the "Boats of Cherbourg" is now quite unlikely as the war ship is in a closed area and escaping with her would be quite difficult and not discreet, but sources say that this possibility was in everybody's mind and that the Mistral were constantly monitored during the last "sea trials".
One thing is sure, the Russians were acting as if the boat was theirs and the fact that they changed the MMSI of the boat to a russian one was done without approval from french government.
Following this act of piracy, the Mistral is now a ship without nationality according to the article 92 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
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